


Stella: the book of Eloise

by QueenNymphSorceress



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Animals, Arranged Marriage, Bisexual Female Character, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Reunions, Fantasy, LGBTQ Character, Lesbian Character, Light Angst, Magic, Multi, Nature, Nature Magic, Nonbinary Character, Nymphs & Dryads, Pirates, Royalty, Team Bonding, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25738927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenNymphSorceress/pseuds/QueenNymphSorceress
Summary: “Please don’t make us lose our time”. said Meredith, cutting her off.“Yeah, I guess you are right. This structure and orb you see here are a symbol of Stella, of its strength and peaceful nature. It’s traditionally lit up during the night of the Coronation, less than a month from now. After everything we have been through, I hoped this could mark a new beginning for us… but as you can see, it’s not working anymore. I have been told that only a person with magical abilities can fix it, which is why I asked you to come”“Well, as beautiful as that story was, I’m afraid there is not much I can do. That sort of magic can only be fixed by an expert in these sorts of objects, so someone like me or Hylia, can’t be of much help”"What CAN you do then?"--------The kingdom of Stella has a problem: their symbol, an object made from magic, is broken. Their princess, Eloise, who doesn't know a thing about magic, decides to seek help from a nymph and a sorceress. With this in mind, they become unlikely companions in a journey to find a way to fix it, facing difficulties and running into friends and enemies alike.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 7





	1. Eloise

**Author's Note:**

> We have been working on this for a while and we tried our best! Hope you like it!

“Do you think I’m a bad person?” Eloise asked Laurie, one day as they practiced fencing, her soft pink hair contrasting the all white attire.  
-“It has been two years since that day, Ella. You did the right thing. The plague would have killed us all if we didn’t do something”. Laurie scored, but it didn’t really matter.

  
“How do you do it? I can’t seem to forget that day. I knew for years I had to either kill or exile my parents and it still keeps me up at night, but you have had to take numerous lives, among other things and you sleep like a baby every night”

  
“Well, it’s part of my job. And if it means I get to protect you and the kingdom, then I can live with the consequences of my actions in the afterlife” Laurie shrugged, their little match long forgotten. “But for your peace of mind, it never gets easy”. Eloise nodded, trying to take the implications of his words.  
What kind of things had her parents asked of him while she was away? Maybe it didn’t matter anymore, since they were doing the right thing now, so she decided to push those thoughts away and change the subject.

  
“Do you have any idea if they are coming tomorrow?” Eloise knew there was no point in dwelling in the past, when they had so much to solve right now.  
“I have sent guards to their houses everyday this week, been there myself a couple times, but all I have received are threats or indifference. I want to stay hopeful, but we should start considering other options…”

  
“Let’s just wait till tomorrow. If they don’t show up, then we give up on this. Ask Will to search for other possible solutions, but without magical abilities, there is not much we can do by ourselves…” Eloise sighed. If only her protocol lessons had included how to deal with magical, temperamental objects that symbolized the strength of their kingdom instead of making her learn the 50 different ways to reject a proposal with a hand fan.

  
“Yes, Milady.” They made their way to the bench where their stuff was and Laurie pulled out his pocket watch and noticed he was already late for a meeting. He hurried in picking his stuff up, not caring too much about changing clothes, and left the room in a hurry, not without first kissing his favorite princess in the cheek.  
Now finding herself alone and with time to kill before her afternoon meeting, Eloise decided to take a well deserved bath. But she had just soaked in her fragrant bath before she was interrupted by no other that her boyfriend. She had a working theory Laurie loved to interrupt her baths with his sense of duty and responsibility, and even though that was one of the things he loved about him, it would have been nice to let her sore and stressed body recover in the warm water. As she made her way out of the bathtub and into her walk-in closet, he informed her that their guests were waiting for them as they spoke and she realized she would have to get dressed faster than she had expected. In a way, she wasn’t really expecting them to come at all.

  
“They are waiting for us downstairs? I never imagined they would come. I’ll hurry dressing up since I worry they will leave if we have them waiting for too long”. While he gave her a quick briefing of everything they knew about their guests, she pondered on what dress to wear for this occasion. She hated almost everything she had learned from her parents and sometimes she wondered if she dressed well for herself or to soothe her anxious heart, but she truly didn’t had the time to figure that one out now.

  
Eloise's chambers were often a mess. Even though more than a hundred people worked for her, it seemed they could never stay organized and it weirdly made sense. These days, she barely had time for anything, and the mess would get even worse when she had to get dressed in little time, making her room look like a hurricane had passed through, as she would rather trash her room, than leave looking anything less than perfect.

  
“I guess you’ll have to do as a maid today, since I can’t tie my corset on my own”. She came out of her walk-in closet wearing a white dress with gold embroidery. She twirled in front of the mirror, noticing how the white dress only accentuated the rosy paleness of her complexion. She sat down in front of her vanity and looking at her reflection, it was obvious to both of them how tired she looked. She focused on putting makeup, trying to hide her eye bags and the sick paleness of her skin. She couldn’t help but feel self conscious about how she looked, specially these days. The stress was probably eating her up inside and she already looked older than her age.

  
She looked back into the mirror and noticed Laurie staring at her. Contrary to her, he looked at her with fondness in his eyes and she couldn’t help but smile to herself. "Well don't just stare at my pretty face, we have to get down in a minute! Please help me tie my corset, and if you want, you can help me untie it later today~"

  
Laurie focused on doing her corset and chuckled at her suggestion. "Aren't you too tired for that?"

  
"Are you? Aren't you supposed to have good stamina? Wars aren't won with that energy you know?~"

  
"Don't even start with that" he made the final knot putting maybe too much strength. "we have work waiting for us downstairs and if I followed your little games we would never get out of this room!"

  
“That was kinda the point, but I guess you are right” She rolled her eyes knowingly. “I guess I’m just nervous it won’t work”

Eloise walked out of the room, hand in the crook of her boyfriend’s arm, ready to face whatever was waiting for her in that pretty tea room.

  
On top of the elegant silk ottoman sat a tanned young woman with hair as white as the moon and a daring look, her eyes red as blood. She looked at them both as if she had already decided to leave. Laurie recognized her as Meredith, and proceeded to introduce her. “This is Meredith, the sorceress”. Eloise gave her a smile but didn’t receive one back.

  
Laurie had told her before Meredith was the last known one of her species, a special kind of magic orientated beings, who had gotten involved with some dark stuff that had let them to their disappearance. She could remember seeing white hair and blood eyes before around the palace, but she was so little she couldn’t really remember anything beyond that. Even if her parents’ allies and “friends” were far from her favorite people, she didn’t look like a bad person, even if she looked scary.

  
At Meredith’s right sat another woman, who he recognized as Hylia, with her horns sticking out of her orange hair tied up in a high ponytail, all shoeless and in all violet outfit. On top of her shoulders rested a black snake, giving her a really impotent look. She sat in a low silk stool, a lot closer to the table. She didn’t even look up to them, focusing on pouring herself tea and trying to figure out what the pastries filling was.

  
“Your Highness, this is Hylia, the forest nymph”.Eloise gave her an acknowledging smile as well, this time not expecting any type of response. She knew she couldn’t expect them to bow or kiss her hand as etiquette required, but a smile would have been nice.

  
Hylia, as far as her team knew, was a forest nymph. By the look of it, she was the only one living in the forests of her kingdom, but counting the fairy population hadn’t been a high priority when trying to stabilize the country, so she couldn’t be sure. Hylia was the most known as she had managed to keep greedy nobles and merchants from taking whatever they wanted from the forest. She admired her for that.

  
“And for what is worth, this is Your Highness, Crown Princess Eloise Aimee Victoria Seymour Richelieu, regent of the kingdom. Now that introductions are done, you may proceed to the throne room and I will...see you later”. He bowed and exit the room, leaving them in a completely awkward silence.

  
“So...how do you like the tea? Are the croissants good?” asked Eloise, hoping to ease tension as she sat down and served herself tea.

  
“Please don’t make us lose our time”. said Meredith, cutting her off. “I know you also have better things to do. And I don’t think Mr. Commander there came to our houses for three days and send guards the next four to invite us to a tea party”.

  
“Yeah, you are right. If you are done with your tea, then we can move on to the throne room” Eloise took a sip of her tea and calmly got up to open the doors, guiding her guests in. It wasn’t the first time she had dealt with difficult people, but they were certainly a bit different than what she had expected. For once, she didn’t expect Meredith to be so direct, and for a nymph who had sent lumberjacks to the hospital, Hylia was very quiet and calm.

  
The throne room was a high ceiling room with beautiful tall windows, decorated with blue and gold curtains, the colors of the royalty. The thrones of the Monarch and their consort stood there, imponent, and the crown was heavily guarded in a crystal box behind it. The structure behind the throne kept the Crown Jewels secure and in a way, the kingdom. On top of it, rested a sphere with the whole celestial sphere.

  
Eloise walked behind the throne and activated the system. A little orb light up inside the sphere but it was too dim, as it had been for the past month.

  
“This structure and orb you see here are a symbol of Stella, of its strength and peaceful nature. Something the previous...monarchs didn’t care too much to preserve. It’s traditionally light up during the night of the Coronation, less than a month from now. After everything we have been through, I hoped this could mark a new beginning for us… but as you can see, it’s not working anymore. I have been told that only a person with magical abilities can fix it, which is why I asked you to come”

  
“Well, as beautiful as that story was, I’m afraid there is not much I can do. That sort of magic can only be fixed by a mechanic with experience in these sorts of objects, so someone like me or Hylia, can’t be of much help”

  
“Meredith is right, I can’t help” Hylia spoke, for the first time since she arrived.Her voice was calm and a bit low, something unexpected for her angelic face. “Even if I wanted to help, I would have no reason to do it. You talk about your parents like they had nothing to do with you, but they were your parents and you killed them. They were willing to risk it all for their gain, and took everything they could from nature. Nothing can assure me you aren’t like them, even if you want to play as if you are a lot more noble and fair than they used to be”.

  
“You assasinated your parents? Wow, that is so hardcore” Meredith interrupted.

  
“It...had to be done. And Hylia, that is...unfortunate but you are right, you have no reason to help me, but I never expected you to do it out of the good will of your hearts, but if there is something you can do, then I will pay you generously. I hate to be doing this, but you are the only people in the kingdom who still have real magical abilities, the only ones who can help me”. If there was something Eloise hated, was begging. But right now, if she had to get on her knees and beg for their help, she would do it. What would have been the point of everything else she has endured, if at the end she couldn’t make a difference?

  
“You know...your highness, maybe we can’t help ourselves, but for what is worth, there is this man in Aidea who I know could help you. I was already planning on going there soon, so I wouldn’t mind saving up in expenses and help you find him”. Meredith gave her a half smile.

  
“Really? You would do that?” Finally they were getting somewhere. Even if she was doing it just for saving money, it was better than having no solution. She knew someone who could fix it? Even if they had to go to Aidea, it wasn’t such a long trip and if Meredith, such a high class sorceress knew him, then he had to be good.  
“Hylia, I know you don’t trust me, but would you come with us?” Hylia’s snake stared right into her eyes. It was kinda freaking her out “I will pay you in whatever you want and I swear I’m trying not to be like my parents, so please come with us. According to the Goddess, is of bad luck to go on a trip on an even number”.

  
“Just keep your royal hands away from my forest and if you pay me five bags of gold, I will be your companion, to keep the balance or whatever you humans believe is correct”

  
Eloise smiled at her. It was better for the three of them to go together. They probably didn’t know, but if the fact they were both there meant it was supposed to be like that anyways, and Eloise didn’t like to get in the way of destiny like that.

  
“Then we’ll leave tomorrow at the break of dawn! Please stay at the palace for the night, you live far away as it is”. Eloise turned around to Mr. Fearghus, who awaited by the door as per usual “Mr. Feargus, please guide our guests to the Ruby and Amber suites, have Kassie and Kala assigned as their personal maids”. The man nodded and excusing himself for a second from the room, he came back with Kassie and Kala, some of the nicest and most hardworking maids in the palace.  
She hoped they wouldn’t be too scared of her new guests, but the look in their eyes as they bowed gave her the impression she would have to ask them later about it and offer them some off days for all their trouble, since one look was enough to know Meredith and Hylia would be a handful.

  
Turning to her guests, she smiled and told them “As much as I would like to share dinner with you, I already have a previous arrangement, so Kass and Kala will provide you with whatever you want for dinner. I hope you find your quarters up to your taste”.

  
She looked back to her maids with a kind smile, it was clear she had a great level of appreciation for them. “Kass, Kala, thank you so much for taking care of them for tonight, let Mr. Fearghus know if you need anything”. She gave her maids a little bow. It was weird for other people to see her do that, but she had no intention to boss around her staff. Their work was just as important as hers, and she couldn’t have done anything without them, which she often tried to recognize them for with bonuses and vacation days.

  
Meredith gave her an acknowledging nod, which was already an improvement from her complete indifference, and left the room following Kala. Hylia looked at her and smiled awkwardly before leaving as well.

  
“That was...interesting” she chuckled to herself, between amused and confused. “I hope they don’t cause too much trouble to Kass and Kala”

  
“What are you muttering to yourself over there?” Laurie abruptly entered the room “Let’s go, I had coffee served in the garden for us! I know we have plans for later, but I know you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday so it wouldn’t hurt you to have something to eat”. He was right. She had been too busy and anxious to even have breakfast, but now that they were closer to a solution, her body was reminding her she needed more than strong convictions to live. “I assume they decided to help since they are staying~ So tell me, how did you convince them?”

  
-Well, none of them can fix it but Meredith knows someone who can. -replied Eloise as Laurie, her hand in his, made their way outside. She wondered if he had threatened everyone not to bother them, because she swore this was the longest time they had been able to talk to each other without being interrupted. It was nice, since nowadays it felt she barely spent any time with her boyfriend at all. “We are leaving tomorrow morning at the break of dawn to the forbidden city”

  
“You are leaving? But that can’t be, you are the person in charge!” Laurie stopped dead in his tracks, the garden behind them. What was Eloise thinking? She sighed knowingly and nodded. -And you are going to that city? What if you ran into...you know who?

  
“I’m aware of that, but I couldn’t just send someone else. This is the last chance we have, you said so yourself. And this feels like something I must do myself; the kingdom is barely recovering. I just don’t want to alarm everyone if I can help it. If I go there myself and sort this out, then all will be good, and I’ll be at peace cause the only life I would have risked would be my own”.

  
Today was the perfect day to have an outside date. It was sunny but not too hot and the coffee and pastries Laurie had prepared for them looked so good. She knew she wouldn’t get away with this easily, so she decided to just sat down and served them both a cup of coffee, preparing for the lecture. “Besides, I'm thinking on going in a merchant boat, totally undercover. I would have to be very unlucky to ran into my exes anyways”.

  
“I could go with Meredith and Hylia though. That is what I mean. There is no need for you to do all by yourself” He started pacing around the table, as he often did when he felt conflicted. “I’m a knight for the crown, commander of your military household, if anyone should risk their life for you it should be me! I know you can defend yourself, after all, I trained you myself, but I just want to keep you safe.”

  
“You say that like I would let you go alone with two girls who aren’t me~” Laurie looked at her disapproving.

  
“It’s not time for jokes” He rolled his eyes and sat down to take a sip of his coffee. She could be so immature sometimes. “Be serious! You are the most valuable person here, it doesn’t make sense for you to risk your life. Who is even going to rule the kingdom while you are out there putting your life in danger?”

  
“I hate how you don’t even let me be the psychotic jealous girlfriend I was meant to be” She frowned jokingly, but soon her face turned serious again.

  
“I have to do this Laurie, I just feel in my bones it’s gotta be me. And I will be fine, I will send you reports every day to let you know I am fine” She took his hands and kissed them. What might seem like a simple affection, was she was telling her how important this was for her. She was silently asking for his permission. And he wasn’t good at telling her no. He had no chance to win this battle.

  
“You are impossible”

  
“But you still decided to fall in love with me and date me for two years, so honestly, that’s on you” Eloise said smugly.

  
“It is, but I don’t regret it. Even if you are the most stubborn person I know” She smiled almost cockily. She took pride in the weirdest things.

  
“As for the kingdom, you will be in charge. Better get used to it~~”

  
“I assumed as much” He chuckled. “Since you will be leaving tomorrow, let’s enjoy the rest of our afternoon, alright?” She smiled, bright like the sun and taking his hand, made them lay down in the grass. He knew she was always too stressed and never had a moment to breathe, so was glad to have a nice afternoon for once, without any interruptions.

  
“What do you say we prepare some apple strudels now?” asked Eloise out of the blue.

  
“Why? Weren’t the croissants good?”

  
“Oh no, they were. I just kinda want to bake something and who knows? Maybe our guests like sweet pastries as much as we do”.

  
At the end, they had to ask the baker for some of the pastries she had baked earlier, cause even though they had been trying their best, near the end they had gotten distracted with each other and almost burned down the kitchen. After apologizing to the staff for the mess they created, the baker lend them some of their pastries, which now they were delivering to their guests, being that the only thing they could do now.

  
“Now, you go and leave this dish to Meredith and I will leave this other one to Hylia, okay?” she took the dish out of the tray and put it on his hands“Give her my good wishes! ~~”

  
“Why do we have to do this ourselves? cooking was tiring enough, why can’t we send the maids?” he whined like a little child and still he had the audacity to say she was the childish one on a daily basis.

  
“We didn’t even cook them, the least we can do is deliver them. To make it seem as if our intentions are genuine!”

  
“There’s nothing genuine about this, that much I can promise you”

  
“Just shut up and do it” She pushed him towards Meredith’s door.

  
“I promise you I didn’t become a Royal knight to deliver trays with apple strudels, that much I can assure you~” he said, but went inside before she could answer.

  
Eloise stood in front of Hylia's door. She knocked and waited for a second before entering the suite. When she came into the room, she didn't expect to have to search for her all around. The room felt cold so she moved to close the door of the balcony, but noticed two glaring eyes in the dark night, the hissing of the snake adding to the eerie setting.

  
“Oh hey Hylia... Sorry to barge in here without permission, I...prepared apple strudels and wondered if you wanted some…”

  
Hylia stared at her but nodded and looked away. Eloise took the dish out of her tray and left the set of pastries on the edge of the balcony. She wished her good night and took her cue for leaving. Hylia looked scary, and Eloise, tired and wanting to get out of there, decided to not start a conversation with her, specially with such a dangerous looking snake who always looked at her as if she wasn’t worthy to even look at them. She just hoped the strudels could communicate the good intentions her words had failed to show. She noticed Laurie had not come back from Meredith´s room, so decided to wait for him by the door, catching a snip of their conversation.

  
“She is not as self centered and fake as she seems. She was waaay worse when she was younger, that much I can assure you” said Laurie

  
“Hey! How much for loyalty” whispered Eloise to herself. What was he thinking?

  
“You should have seen her when she got assigned to my team, 5 years ago” he chuckled “She was such a brat, I really couldn’t stand her” She heard Meredith chuckle. “But she has grown so much over the course of the years and even though for outsiders she might seem arrogant or pretentious or fake, she was trained to be that way. You were part of a noble family, you know the weight of a family name, the expectations. So I know I can’t ask you to like her, don’t hate her too much, cause in a way, you both are similar”.

  
“You worry too much about her” answered Meredith. “You love her that much?”

  
“What?”

  
“You wouldn’t be here, saying all of this if you weren’t worried. How adorable” She said, her tone filled with disdain, but also something... bittersweet? “Thank you for the strudels, you may leave” Eloise heard steps, Laurie was coming. She walked half way back and pretended to be just back from Hylia’s room. Eloise caught Laurie smiled as a thanks and Eloise couldn’t help but feel grateful herself.

  
“So, are you done?” She asked nonchalant.

  
“Yup”

  
They made their way to her chambers as Eloise talked of all the things they had to do now since she was leaving tomorrow. She looked at his boyfriend curiously, and she wondered to herself why had Laurie fallen in love with her. Looking back on her teen years, he was right on saying she was a brat and a tease, collecting hearts as if they were seashells on a beach. She had been forced to grow up too fast, taking on adult responsibilities and vices alike, driving him, her commanding officer, crazy. She could just be thankful he had seen behind all her antics then had decided to stay by her side, even if it had been so hard to do so sometimes.

  
Noticing she had spaced out, he asked her if she was okay.

  
“Yes, I was just thinking about how much I love you”

  
“Valid"


	2. Hylia

When Hylia woke up the next morning, she felt like she hadn't rested at all. It felt weird sleeping with a hundred pillows. At the end she had needed the maid more than she had anticipated, not realizing she wasn't really used to human accommodations. She got up with the sun, proceeding to wash herself in the tub her maid had prepared, that felt more like a mini lake than a tub, with all the flowers and fragrances they had added. Feeling refreshed after her bath, she ignored the dress that had been left for her and decided to throw on her last night´s outfit, which apparently had been cleaned while she was in the tub.

Kass had brought her a simple breakfast consisting of bread with butter and some fruits. She found the breakfast delicious and after a very different morning, she decided to leave her room. She realized then she didn't know where she was going, and Kass wasn’t around to ask. 

Hylia hoped she hadn’t annoyed the helpful human with all her questions, specially since in the morning she have had issues figuring out how the bathtub worked and had made a mess, prompting the young girl to kick her out of the bathroom to let her handle it. She had been worried she would wake everyone up when she ringed the bell of her room at 6 am, but Kass came upstairs without a sweat; apparently days at the palace started very early in the morning.

“Well, here goes nothing” she opened the doors of her room and wandered around the hall looking for someone to ask for guidance. She walked downstairs and entered the only room which door wasn't locked.

A big statue of a beautiful being, human by the shape of their ears, with androgynous features, stood in the center of the room. A strong aroma of roses and something bitter and strong surrounded her. The figure was imposing but had a kind look, something she appreciated a lot. She concluded she had entered their place of prayer.  
“Its weird seeing a human with such kind eyes…” she said softly, contemplating the statue. "It feels like I shouldn't be here though, Dahlia would have scolded me if i went around snooping at her palace…”

Thinking of her Queen’s angry expressions sent a wave of chills down her spine. And so, with one last look, she decided to make her way out when she noticed a pink haired figure kneeled praying. Eloise got up and walked up to her. 

“I didn’t mean to be rude, this was the only door who would open around here” said Hylia, guessing she had to justify being there. She didn’t want to be disrespectful. 

“Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry. This place is open for everyone. This chapel is for the most practiced religion in the kingdom, but we are respectful and inclusive of other religions” Eloise pointed to a series of doors on the other side of the hall, where, according to Eloise, people who worked on the palace had the chance to follow their own religions.   
“I’m… not religious” answered Hylia.  
“That is fine as well. Let’s make our way out, we have to leave soon” Eloise took her by the arm and walking out to the hall, she looked everywhere, as if making sure they were alone. Satisfied with her assessment, she pushed a wall, opening a secret staircase, conveniently light up by small windows on the walls.  
“Let’s go. Please be careful, the stairs can be slippery at times”   
“Are we sneaking out?” asked Hylia as they made their way downstairs, rather quickly if she said so herself.   
“People can’t know I’m leaving, so yes. We are.”  
They got to the end of the stairs, where Meredith and Laurie were already waiting for them in a carriage. Hylia noticed how Eloise eyes would light up just seeing Laurie’s face, but as she sat in the carriage, they didn’t hold hands or kissed, acting as if they weren’t a couple. She wondered why that was, cause she knew it wouldn’t be out of shyness. Meredith and her were both wearing the clothes from the day before, while Eloise and Laurie were wearing different clothes.  
The carriage started moving and soon Hylia could see the shore and the port, filled with boats and merchants. Meredith and her got off the carriage first and helped the coachman with their small luggage, that consisted mostly of food for that day and their bags.   
Eloise seemed to bring a lot more stuff than they did and Hylia wondered if she should have packed more.   
The sea seemed so blue and she was already in love with the smell of salt and the sound of the waves. She looked back and in a way, she felt like she was prying in a very private moment; Eloise and Laurie were hugging tight as if not wanting to get away from each other.   
He saw Laurie take off his coat and give it to her, hoping she would return it herself. Eloise got off the carriage and quickly wiped tears with her sleeve, getting herself into the person Hylia had known so far.   
“They are cute but also very particular, don’t you think Ceri?” she looked at her tiny red companion, who gave a small nod to her words. Ceri, a stubborn and overprotective red vermillion was her companion for this trip. Talking the night before, Ceri, Ivy and her had decided it was best for Ceri to come with her and Ivy to take care of the forest.   
“I hope Ivy doesn’t get into trouble while we aren’t here…” Hylia muttered to herself while Ceri snuggled against her neck.   
“Are you ready to leave? Our ship is waiting for us” Eloise said cheerfully, as if she hadn’t been crying a minute ago. She took her bag from Meredith’s hands and one of the boxes of food and made her way down the dock, stopping in front of a small ship. A black woman with pretty long hair in a twist bun came to greet them, or specifically, Eloise.  
Her first impression when she was coming down was that she was intimidating, since she was taller than all of them, but all of that melted away when she smiled and catched the princess in her arms who practically jumped into the other woman’s. Looking at her, she realized she had been wrong about her: it was clear she was a sweetheart.   
Hylia almost couldn’t listen to the waves crashing over how loud they were being, all excited chatter and kisses and “Oh I’m so happy to see you!”. When they calmed down, the woman took some of the boxes from Meredith’s hands and guided them up deck.   
“Now let’s do some introductions, shall we? Our crew is very small and friends of Eloise are certainly friends of us” The woman smiled. Her face changed completely when she did and Hylia could notice her smile was so different from the one she was used to seeing in Eloise or other people; it was genuine.   
“I’m the Captain of this ship” she introduced herself. “This one here is my second in command, SeongHwa. He is in charge of strategy and overall having the brain cell in this ship” The man known as SeongHwa, was tall, skin tanned by the sun. His gaze, sharp and focused, seemed to pierce through her soul.   
“This is Blaire, our resident heartbreaker, yes, Eloise finally has a successor since we know she will be going out of business very soon” She could hear Eloise protest over her explanation, but she focused on the girl in front of her. She wasn’t very tall but she was very slim and her face looked like it deserved to be on portraits. She could see why the Captain would compare her to Eloise. They both had that “je ne sais quoi” that stole glances and hearts without even trying.  
“And last but not least, this is Leo, our expert on mechanics. They are the only one who actually knows how to manage this ship, if I’m being honest” The person in front of her, had a mischievous look in their brown eyes, but they didn’t look like a bad person at all. She gave them an awkward smile as she had given the others and they smiled back, running their fingers through their hair.   
“Aren’t the girls introducing themselves?” Asked Leo.   
“Eager aren’t we? Well, I’m Eloise as my dear friend the captain has said, Crown Princess and all that. These are my companions, Meredith, the pureblood sorceress and Hylia, the forest nymph” Meredith winced at her own introduction. Before in the palace, she hadn’t been called a pureblood, so Hylia felt she didn’t feel comfortable being called that.  
It made sense she wanted to distance herself from what she was in front of others, but there was no way Eloise could have known. Luckily, the crew seemed to know as much about magic and magical beings as Eloise, so neither of them reacted out of the normal slight disinterest.   
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all” SeongHwa answered before the others could, his voice low and cold. His aura didn’t seem unfriendly even though his face certainly did.   
“Well crew, let’s sail, cause the trip to Aidea isn’t short and our passengers need to be back as soon as possible” Everyone started moving and very soon, they were in the open sea.   
Hylia loved the way the sea breeze made her hair move and being on the open waters, she couldn’t help but be reminded of her mom. Her mom, who always smelled like sand and rain and would collect empty seashells to make pretty necklaces and would sing songs to her siblings and her that she learned of the mermaids. “Very soon” she thought and staying near the edge, she couldn’t help but sing to herself a bit of her mom's favorite song.


	3. Meredith

The trip to Aidea lasted for a day, and being just a passenger with no sailing experience meant she had to entertain herself. From where she was, she could hear Eloise’s laugh as she exchanged funny stories with the Captain and Blaire, who she didn’t seem to know before but now acted like they had known each other for years.  
“Wait, so you were Duchess Muller’s lover last year? I slept with her daughter when we were cadets. I can’t believe we have just met, we literally had the same social circles!” Eloise said. The way she spoke to them was so different to the Eloise she had gotten to know so far and Meredith wondered what it would be like to be that close with a person again. Not that she needed friends though. Deciding it was rude to eavesdrop, she decided to focus on Hylia, who was looking to the distance, she seemed to be muttering something to herself, or maybe singing. 

Soon, the whole ship was covered in beautiful flowers. It was one of the most marvelous things she had ever seen and it made her wonder what other things could Hylia do. It seemed her powers were inherently good and beautiful, so different from her own. Hylia didn’t seem to have noticed it was happening, and Meredith pondered walking to her and starting a conversation, but felt it would be too awkward. What would she even say after complimenting her flowers?

She knew how to fulfill the minimum requirements of etiquette and how to make people shiver just by looking at her, but now she knew that wasn’t correct. That didn’t mean she knew how to make friends or show genuine interest in people. She never meant to hurt others but she had started to believe it was her nature, since she had even pushed away the only person who showed her kindness and now they had disappeared.

She tried to remember how they were, telling herself she could do better for them. Recalling the past always gave her a headache and her memories always seemed to be blurry. She grabbed the ring that hanged from the necklace her brother had given her, hoping it would give her strength, but before she could approach Hylia, a person with brown curly hair had already approached her. She recognized them as Leo and she wondered if they liked Hylia. After all, Meredith could see them give her their best smile, to the confusion of Hylia. That would be interesting for sure.

Her head still hurt and she couldn’t help but travel with a heavy heart. She had thought of visiting Aidea a million times, but had decided against it everytime, anxious of what she would find. But the opportunity Eloise had provided was something she couldn’t let pass; it felt like destiny. What would she find in one of the most magical cities in the world? Would she find clues about what she had lost? 

Too distracted by her own thoughts, she didn’t notice the sun had set. A soft wind blew on her face, making her aware maybe it was best to head inside. The princess had paid for them to have a small room just for themselves, one the captain would often use as a study or to storage maps and navigation tools. It looked as if they had tried to make the room as comfortable as possible, moving away the table below deck and cleaning up a bit, but it was still very much covered in dust, making her nose itch. 

Their things had been placed in the middle of the room. Eloise had apparently brought sleeping bags in pretty colors for the three of them and probably enough food to feed the entire crew for a week and if Meredith was honest, it felt like too much. She had heard Eloise say she was practically sneaking away and was trying to go unnoticed on this trip, but it looks like she is not really good at doing so.

Since her roommates were nowhere to be found, she decided to take the sleeping bags out of their carrying bags and lay them on the floor around the low table in the middle of the room. Feeling awkward, she took her own and decided to rest against the wall beside the window, looking out to the open sea. Hylia entered the room, her hair messy from the sea breeze covered with pretty desert flowers and her bird resting on the crook of her neck. She gave her a nod, acknowledging her presence, and taking the white bag and sitting on it. Eloise walked in, carrying bread, cheese, fruits and serrano ham in a tray, and put it in the middle of the room, on top of the last sleeping bag. 

“I brought you dinner! I figured you hadn't eaten anything all day, so here you go. I hope this is up to your liking” Eloise gave them a half smile, her eyes sleepy. She didn’t seem drunk, but the slight smell of sweet wine made it clear her conversations with the Captain maybe went too heavy on the drinking. Meredith went ahead and served water to all of them in some cups Eloise had brought along, and passed one to Eloise in hopes of keeping her hydrated. Hylia took an apple to herself, along with some bread and cheese and started eating quietly, not before muttering a small thanks to Eloise, even if it was hard to understand with her mouth full.

Her feelings were all up in a knot in her stomach, keeping her from feeling hungry at all, but she knew she had to eat something, especially under her companions’ stares. She looked up to see Hylia chewing her food happily. She had never seen the nymph eat before but she wondered if she maybe was more used to eating along with squirrels than humans. The thought made her chuckle to herself and after eating something, she prepared to get some rest. By then Hylia had already tucked herself in her bag and looked asleep already.  
She looked over to Eloise and noticed she was munching lazily on some serrano jam as she read some letters, covered by her military coat. Meredith didn’t mind the lamp’s light and concluded she would sleep soon, not that it was her business. She closed her eyes and not noticing how tired she was, she drifted off.  
She was standing in the middle of a forest, the one where she lived, all by herself. She was surrounded by fog and couldn’t really see ahead. She tried to create flames or some sort of light, but her magic didn’t seem to respond to her. She heard voices, so she started walking, looking for a way out. The voices became clearer, it was her parents, calling out for her, telling her she had already failed. 

Had already figured as much, but failed at what? She asked, mostly to herself, not expecting her dream to answer her.  
Before her appeared a man she knew too well, trapped in a cage. He looked like he had lost a few pounds and his hair had grown longer than the last time she had seen him. She could hear the voices screaming ‘it will be too late soon, you have already lost’.

Meredith covered her ears, hoping to silence the voices and started running towards the cage but it looked like it was moving away from her. She opened her eyes, stared at the wood ceiling and noticed the rocky movement of the boat below her. Meredith could still hear the voices ringing in her ears and looking around the room she noticed she wasn’t the only one awake. 

“Are you okay? It’s not morning yet, so maybe try to go back to sleep” asked Eloise. She looked concerned, her eyebags more noticeable in the lamp’s dim light. She even got up to serve her some water, which helped Meredith calm her nerves.

“I’ll be fine” It was weird to have someone else there as she was having a nightmare. She just hoped she hadn’t said anything weird, so she tried to brush the topic off.“ Aren’t you going to sleep? We have a long day ahead of us.” 

“Oh, I’m aware. I just don’t sleep much these days, so I would rather get ahead at work. I know Laurie will appreciate the aid I can provide him” Eloise pushed a button on her magic communicator, clearly sending something off. Meredith raised an eyebrow in question at her. 

“He didn’t look like someone who would need a lot of help though” 

“You should sleep Eloise. If you want, we could help you” Interrupted Hylia, who had apparently woke up with their chatter. She looked like a sleepy cat, with her hair all in a mess and her unamused expression. Ceri, her bird, slept peacefully beside her, so maybe she had very light sleep. “I’m certain Meredith knows some spells that could help out your insomnia” Meredith nodded. 

“I don’t need anything like that, you see-” But she never got to finish because, before she could, she fell soundly asleep on top of her coat, traces of magic on her. Meredith wasn’t as patient when sleep deprived, so why wait when this way they could all sleep?  
They both got up and got Eloise into her sleeping bag. 

“Why is she so heavy?” she asked. Even Hylia was having an issue carrying her and putting her to bed. 

“I don’t know, maybe her boots? I had never seen a thing like it”  
“I agree. I would guess they were made for the battlefield, though I wonder what is practical about thigh high metal boots”  
Hylia chuckled. “We could ask her later, though it also escapes me how they could be comfortable in a crisis situation. In case we have to do this again, let’s try to put her to sleep after she is tucked in, cause I’m not sure I can do this every night” 

Meredith grinned. “You are right. Specially, since we doubt this will be a once in a lifetime, based on the eyebags this Lady has. Does she even sleep?”  
Hylia didn’t answer her, but covered Eloise with her coat, caring as much as to put her papers on an organized pile. Getting back in her bags, they muttered a “good night” to each other, before putting out the lamp for the night.


	4. Eloise

Eloise woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in months, if not years. Her back hurt from sleeping on the floor, but she felt better than usual. It downed on her the realization of why she had slept so well: Meredith had put her under a spell. She noticed she was still dressed, and all her things were still with her. She got goosebumps thinking about the last time she had woken up after a sleeping spell. She got up quickly, trying to shake the offsetting feeling off her. This was nothing like last time, but it still didn’t sit well with her. She was going to give that girl a piece of her mind. Wasn’t it a violation of her rights to get put to sleep against her will? 

Her roommates were no longer in their room, so she walked out searching for them. They were looking ahead, the shadow of the city in their view. 

“You put me to sleep!” 

“Good morning to you too, princess. Glad to see you slept well” Meredith grinned. 

“I’m sorry Eloise, but it was for the best. Not a fan of her methods, but I think the result was really good. You look really well rested” Hylia said with a smile, her crescent moon eyes smiling along with her. 

“I’m grateful you helped me sleep, but please at least let me know before doing it next time! I...I don’t really appreciate being put to sleep without knowing, even if I get you didn’t do it with a bad intent”

“Okay, okay.” Meredith nodded, her face no longer amused. She must have caught on with what she meant.

“Are you hungry Eloise? Blaire prepared some eggs, if you want some” asked Hylia, moving from what seemed like a heavy topic, something Eloise appreciated, since it wasn’t something she felt comfortable sharing with people she barely knew. 

“How did they prepare eggs on board?” asked Eloise. 

“Nothing magic can’t help with” Both Meredith and Hylia exchanged a mischievous look. 

Leo walked out to them to offer Hylia a plate of eggs, fruits and bread from the night before. Hylia thanked them, earning a big smile from the person. It was clear to Eloise their interest in Hylia, but looking to her companion, she wondered if it was clear to her too. This felt like it would need an intervention, even if, in theory, she shouldn’t mettle in this girl’s life. 

After having breakfast, they finally arrived in the city of Aidea. Eloise had paid the Captain and her crew for a round trip, which meant they would be staying in Aidea for as long as they were there, even if it meant they weren’t together all the time. The three of them would get off the ship first, since they had their reasons to get ahead, and Eloise would contact them when it was time to leave. 

Eloise saw Hylia say goodbye to her little bird, who would follow them from above, but wouldn’t stay by Hylia’s side in case it was dangerous. Eloise kissed all the crew goodbye, while Meredith bowed her head a bit in acknowledgement. Hylia had just planned to wave everyone goodbye, while Leo went ahead and hug her, under the pretense it was just the right way to say goodbye. They were just so forward. She would have to ask Hylia if she was okay with it, but she also wondered if Hylia knew what was happening at all. 

The city of Aidea stood in front of them. Aidea was a beautiful and prosperous kingdom, blooming with life and technological advances. They proud themselves to be a city of magicians and sorcerers, who flew around the city in carpets and brooms, and colored the sky with their enchantments and spells. Meredith stood filled with wonder, amazed at this city. She wouldn't dare to say it but she had a feeling that Meredith had never been to the forbidden city before. Thankfully, Eloise had been here perhaps too many times and hopefully knew her way around the city enough to be here and leave without running into her exes. Hopefully. 

Meredith had told them during breakfast that they would be visiting a man called Dedalus, an expert on magical objects who used to work alongside her parents, who she did her best not to mention too much. Her parents no longer lived with her, according to what Laurie had told her, but their family dynamics seem like something she had no business prying on. 

Pulling out an old notebook, Meredith flipped the pages, looking for the address. She showed it to Eloise, who recognized the zone at once, she had been around that neighborhood before and it was on the other side of the city, far from the port. Aidea was a modern city with a large population. Those who didn’t use magic to move from one place to another, usually would hop on one of the gondolas that crossed the city. Aidea wasn’t called the city on air for nothing. They would have to take a gondola, since walking downtown would take them a lot of time, time they didn’t have.

“This place is downtown, which means we have to get across town in one of those Gondolas you see. Cable cars usually connected several key points in the city and had plenty of stops, in order to allow people to move not only large distances but also short ones as well" Hylia looked marveled at the structures, not used to them at all and couldn’t help but stare curiously as Eloise bought tickets for them. Aidea was so different from Stella, it had surprised her the first time as well. Now they only had to get on and be careful not to get lost. 

If there was anything she loved about traveling on air was the view and it seemed her companions agreed. The city looked beautiful from there, even if the three of them were all squashed up against the windows. 

They were getting off their third stop, when someone stopped them, a guard. Suddenly, they were surrounded, and between all the people getting on and off the cable cars, they were pushed away. The three of them struggled but they had no chance, they were outnumbered. Soon the guards had cuffed her companions to prevent them from using their magic and while she struggled to get away, she felt a pinch and everything went black. 

\---------------

Eloise opened her eyes, a migraine settling in. She looked around, and recognized the place immediately, since they were in the one place she hoped not to visit again: the palace. 

Not only were they in the palace, but in the throne room, though its occupant was nowhere to be seen. She noticed Meredith and Hylia by her side and while thankful they looked okay, she worried this would end badly. If only they were awake, she could try to get them out of here, since she didn’t think she could carry them outside and fight the guards. 

She cursed her luck. Perhaps it would have been better to walk, instead of ending up here. For now, all she could do was wait for a chance to escape.   
The doors opened and a person walked and sat on the throne. They looked way older and a lot classier than the last time they saw each other, but it was clear they were still the same person from three years ago. 

“It takes a lot of guts to come all the way here Loi, I thought after everything that went down you wouldn’t show up here” They said. “Can’t say you don’t look great in handcuffs and in your knees on the middle of my throne room”

“I’m here on business, not pleasure. I said I didn’t intend to bother you no more and I wished to stand by that” She answered coldly. Meredith and Hylia moved behind her, they were awake. Now all she had to do was get them out of there. 

“Who are these girls with you?” They asked, ignoring what she had said entirely. They tended to do that. It was one of the things she hated the most about them.   
“These girls don’t look like your type though, did you really change Laurie for them?”

“You always assume the worst” Eloise rolled her eyes. “They were just visitors who were going in the same direction as me, they didn't know anything. They don’t even speak stellian” To prove her point, Hylia started talking in a language she couldn’t recognize. Maybe a nymph dialect. 

“I did think it was weird for you to travel with a nymph and a pure blood, it sounds like the start of a bad joke. Guards, please let these girls go, I don’t care about them at all” 

Guards behind them moved forward and started releasing them from the handcuffs and guiding them outside. She watched them go and could notice a hint of worry in Hylia’s eyes. She smiled at her, as sincerely as possible. 

Now she only had to get out of here herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back with two new chapters! We had a lot of fun writing this, so we hope you are having fun reading it! :D  
> ily <3   
> till next time!


	5. Hylia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this time both chapters of this week are from the same POV (Hylia's), so they are published as one, separated by ----- <3  
> Please note there is a scene that has mild sexual assault themes (Nothing too explicit, but nonetheless) so please be careful with that. We put **** before and after the scene.   
> Stay safe!

The guards let them go, leaving them in an internal garden. Aideans were obsessed with water, so it made sense that the garden had an enormous fountain in the middle of it. Being let on their own, Hylia wondered what to do. Should she go back and help Eloise or leave without a second thought? It seemed Meredith didn’t have any doubts, and walked out of the garden too quickly for Hylia to catch up to her, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Eloise had let them go, so in a way, what happened to Eloise was her own doing. Wasn’t it her fault that she decided to come along even when she knew someone like that was the all powerful monarch? Was this mission even that important to risk the future of her kingdom? 

That didn’t matter anymore. Hylia was now free to go back home. This was enough adventure for her, and she had half the money she was promised. She could do so much with that. Ceri appeared and let itself be pet by her, as if sensing she had a lot on her mind. 

“I'm okay, don't worry. It was just a crazy human, nothing we haven’t seen before” she said. Ceri looked around as if searching for someone. He looked up at her with his small questioning eyes as if asking where her companions were.

“What?, ah… The others? I don't know, Meredith just poofed out of my vision and Eloise…” she looked at the door they had come out of.   
“She is in there, the monarch had some unresolved business with her apparently? They knew each other from before. She got us out so I guess that means we will be going back home tonight...”

Ceri didn’t agree apparently, and started pulling her hair, as if protesting her very vague words. Ceri wanted her to go back and help.   
-Ouch, C-ceri! Stop that, it hurts! Stop! I don't know her as much to care!" Hylia tried to convince Ceri to stop. Ceri ceased his pulling to fly around her chirping angrily. They could now leave, why was Ceri being like this?

“Ok ok i get it! She obviously saved us from that situation and she isn’t like others we have met but…”

Eloise, who had baked them strudels on their first night and was nice and respectful, even if she came across a bit fake at times. But now she had let them go, probably knowing they would leave and she would have no way to find them. She had decided to save them from unnecessary punishment, even if she was putting her own life and mission in danger. She hadn’t won anything from being nice to them before. 

“Ugh, ok ok! I will do it! S-stop looking at me like that!” she said, defeated. “Sometimes you are very stubborn, you know that right?” she chuckled to herself, under the unamused look in Ceri’s little face.

“Meredith is clearly gone so this rescue mission will have to depend on me only. Ceri, is best for you to leave me as well and find me later outside the palace, I can’t risk you getting captured” Hylia was putting at risk the lie Eloise had told. She could be arrested or tortured for trying to help Eloise. After all, she didn’t know the nature of Eloise and the monarch’s relationship, but it didn’t seem as they had ended on good terms. 

Hylia walked back to the throne room’s door on the other side of the garden. The throne room was the only door guarded, so this wouldn’t be too hard. The guards didn’t seem very happy to see her again, but they never got to alert others anything, since before they knew it huge roots started moving from the confines of the garden and pushed them against the wall with enough strength to knock them out. She opened the doors without a sweat and found two more guards inside. The guards came running towards her, but couldn’t really do anything against the improvised weight of Meredith, who fell down from the ceiling without any previous notice. 

She helped her companion up, not before checking Meredith hadn’t killed them from the impact. They were just knocked out, thankfully. “I thought you had left!”   
“I also thought that, but I guess it felt wrong to leave her behind, after all, she was unarmed. Besides, almost everyone in the palace knew we came with her, if we go back without their dear princess they will hunt us down”

“Oh, makes sense” She smiled, not entirely convinced. It seemed Meredith really needed to convince herself of her actual pure reasons, since Hylia could assume a girl like her didn’t have reasons to be scared of being hunted down. She was a pureblood, for the Goddess’ sake.They weren’t called some of the most powerful magic holders for nothing. 

Together they made their way to the room behind the throne, preparing for the worst. What if Eloise wasn’t there? What if she had been killed already?   
But all their worries disappeared and turned into surprise when they opened the door and faced Eloise fixing her hair in front of a mirror, while the monarch laid down naked, blindfolded and handcuffed to their bed. 

“Wha-” Meredith shifted uncomfortably and gazed directly at Eloise, trying to avoid looking at the naked figure in front of her. 

Hylia didn’t look or felt uncomfortable at all and didn’t even try to avoid staring. She didn’t find the naked figure disgusting or uncomfortable, but rather wondered how Eloise had managed to handcuff and blindfold them. Soon her curiosity was put a limit, since Meredith grabbed her by her chin and moved her face away from the naked person in front of them. 

“It’s rude to stare at naked humans, so don’t” 

“You both got all red~ So cute~ Don’t tell me it’s your first time seeing someone naked like this~~” said Eloise amused as their reactions. 

“Obviously not, but it’s not okay to stare at someone who is naked without their consent!” Answered Meredith throwing daggers with her eyes, though clearly a bit flustered at the situation. 

“It’s okay, Aban likes to be seen~. But that isn’t really relevant now and we really should run so, let’s go girls!” And taking her things, she rushed them out of the door, before Aban could yell out for the guards to come and get them. Even if they were close behind, the naked monarch was sure to create at least a bit of a distraction.   
Eloise closed the door behind them and, taking both of her companions hands, ran across the throne room and the gardens. 

But Eloise seemed to know the palace very well, losing the majority of them in a bit. She was also faster and more agile than them, and Hylia wondered if it was normal for a human to have such stamina. She also wondered if purebloods were usually not fit, because she couldn’t help but notice Meredith was having issues catching her breath, but made an effort to keep up with them. She would have to ask them both later. Hylia also wanted to ask where they were going, since they seemed to be further away from the exits than before. Eloise then stopped in the middle of a hallway, where a ceiling high tapestry hung and started patting it over.

“There is a hidden staircase around here somewhere, I hope it’s still here” Eloise looked side to side nervously and frantically kept searching for something. Suddenly something moved and Eloise smiled satisfied as she lifted the side of the tapestry to reveal a staircase. 

“This one also has secret pathways?” asked Hylia tiredly. It was just so confusing, even though it had proven to be useful time and time again. Eloise pushed them inside and they all made their way downstairs. 

“Well kinda, yes. Now be careful of where you step, I’m sorry we don’t have an antorch or anything” 

But they didn’t have to walk in the dark for long, since blue flames started coming out of Meredith’s hand.   
“Thank you, Meredith. Now let’s hurry, I don’t know if there will be guards on the other side” 

When they opened the door, guards were indeed waiting for them. Hylia looked around and noticed somehow, they were on the brink of a cliff. They could easily fall from where they stood. Was Eloise trying to get them killed? But she didn’t look scared at all, smirking at the guards who tried to get them. She walked ahead of them, knocking them out in shift movements before either of her companions could react, and before she knew it, they were truly making their way out of the palace.   
The sun would set soon, and Hylia wondered how far the palace was from their goal location. But they didn’t have a lot of time to sit down and figure it out, as guards would still be looking for them. Why were they so obsessed with getting Eloise back? 

\-----------  
Eloise pulled them into a tavern, and quickly got them a table. People were staring at her as she made her way to the bar. Were they recognizing her? They would have to do something about her looks, her cotton candy hair drawing way too much attention. It wasn’t normal for hair to be of such an unnatural color, at least not among humans. 

Hylia felt something tugging her long skirt and noticed there were mice under the table. They were so cute! She took them in her hands and asked them about the people in that tavern. Apparently Eloise hadn’t entered here randomly: most people there were criminals, so wouldn’t risk calling the guards at least. Eloise came back with three tall glasses with a golden foamy liquid filling to the brim and what looked like fish and some weirdly shaped potatoes for each of them. It all looked unnecessarily greasy, but Hylia really didn’t have room to complain in that situation. 

Eloise put the food on the table as far from Hylia as she could, looking at the mice on her hands with disgust. “Can you please let the mice go? It’s not sanitary to touch dirty animals before eating, I feel like I’m getting sick from looking at them” said Eloise, as she tried to control her nausea.

“They are adorable, not dirty! But I don’t wish to make you sick” Hylia put the mice back on the floor, and for Eloise’s peace of mind, even went on to wash her hands in the tavern’s bathroom, which to her surprise was fully equiped with soap and toiletries. 

She came back to the table to find Eloise already eating, while Meredith just stared into the void, as if trying to burn holes into it. Even if they didn’t recognize Eloise, they had to start acting more normal. They were freaking people out and were getting a lot of unwanted attention. 

Hylia’s throat felt dry and taking one of the glasses for herself, she took a big gulp. It tasted bitter in her mouth, the strong taste burning her throat and the aftertaste making her dizzy. “What kind of beverage is this?” she asked in confusion. 

“It’s beer! Sorry, they just serve this here” Hylia looked in surprise as Eloise drank half of it without breaking a sweat.   
“What is it? It tastes so bitter and weird!” 

“Beer is a fermented alcoholic beverage. It’s supposed to be bitter. And the dizziness is just part of it, I guess” answered Meredith, also taking sips out of her beer.   
“Why would humans drink such a thing?” 

“Don’t fairies have wines as sweet as candy, that make people lose all their inhibitions and lose track of time?” asked Eloise. She continued, looking at Hylia, who still looked very much confused. “Humans drink this to feel a little happier, to be a little less sad and have fun”

“I’m used to it cause purebloods have lived between humans for centuries now, but I still like our very own liquors a lot more. They are stronger!” Meredith said. Hylia and Eloise chuckled, amused.

“Talking about humans, I was wondering if you did some special training or something, Eloise, because you were so fast and agile! Guards couldn’t keep up. Not even Meredith could keep up” Hylia said, suppressing a smile under Meredith’s raised eyebrow.   
“For the record, I’m just out of shape! But I could be faster than you if I wanted!”

“Laurie would never let me lose what I learned, even if he is not my commanding officer anymore” answered Eloise, taking a sip of her beer, probably to hide her smile.   
“We get it, he is nice” Meredith interrupted. “I have more questions about that person who kidnapped us and brought us to the palace against our will. You clearly had some sort of story with them” 

“Oh, yes” Eloise looked down to the plate in front of her, avoiding their eyes “We dated when we were both younger but it didn’t work out. I had to stop coming here even if I was very close with their sister, because they wouldn’t let me alone” She sighed in frustration. “I don’t even know how I got out of that situation, if I’m being honest. I didn’t had any plan for after I had handcuffed them” Hylia noticed she had something else going through her mind, but concluded she didn’t feel like sharing. 

“It must have been difficult,” said Hylia.

“Oh, and I’m sorry you had to see them naked!” Eloise said, like whatever she seemed to be thinking about before had disappeared completely from her mind. “I just discovered five minutes in that they still wanted me to “order them around”, though I never asked them to handcuff themselves naked. They like the humiliation but still, it was too much” Eloise shook her head in disapproval. “Thanks for coming back for me though! I really thought you would leave after I had let you go. I just couldn’t risk it” 

“It’s whatever, don’t worry about it” Meredith answered. 

“What matters is that tomorrow we can try to find Dedalus, even if we have to walk this time” Hylia smiled at her. 

“Though we do have to do something about your hair Eloise, is attracting too much attention. We can risk them recognizing you again” 

“She’s right Eloise, we could maybe try to figure out something tomorrow? It’s pointless to waste magic and tire ourselves now” said Hylia  
“Okay, makes sense” Eloise nodded. “Should we get out of here and find a place to stay?” 

“Sounds good,” answered Hylia. As they moved out of the booth, she noticed Meredith had barely touched the fries and hoped it was just that she didn’t like them as much as Eloise and she did. She didn’t have any ground to ask her about it though. 

As they made their way outside, a tall and muscular girl stood in front of the door, not willing to let them leave the tavern. 

************ (here)  
-What is a group of pretty little things like you doing around here?” The woman was now standing a few inches away from Eloise, and looked at them in a way that made Hylia uncomfortable” You sure look too pretty to be a runaway” The woman was now caressing the soft skin of Eloise’s cheek. 

“Oh well, thank you!” Eloise said sweetly, laughing at nothing. “As much as we appreciate those compliments, we were just here for a couple beers and we can’t stay longer” She even pouted at the woman, who seemed completely charmed. But apparently not enough to let them go. What were they going to do now? Looking at Eloise, she noticed she didn’t look anxious at all, her face and voice were clearly unfazed by the situation. Her trembling hands would give her away if anyone looked with attention, but they clearly weren’t, as it seemed only Hylia could see how Eloise retrieved her gun from under her skirt. Hylia could also see little blue flames coming from Meredith’s hands from the corner of her eye. They were getting ready to fight if needed. 

But they didn’t had to, because suddenly they all had arms around their shoulders and someone had removed the woman’s hand from Eloise’s face. She looked at the owner of the arms around her to face Leo, one of the crew members. Blaire had her arms around Eloise and Seonghwa was resting his hand in Meredith’s shoulder. She noticed the Captain was standing besides them all, and even though she was the sweetest thing, she didn’t smile, hoping to scare others with her height.   
“Carmen, I see you ran into our girlfriends who were waiting for us!” said the Captain, nonchalant. 

“These girls aren’t your girlfriends, c’mon captain. The stellian princess, a pureblood and a nymph all in a questionable tavern? It’s obvious they are prostitutes” Hylia could sense Seonghwa trying to hold Meredith back, it seemed she didn’t like what she was saying “It seems you even spent your last job’s money on these costumes, they look so realistic!” 

“Oh yeah, you got us! How could we fool you?” Blaire laughed fakely, as she moved away from the door, trying to give the others a stepping stone. “They are so pretty, aren’t they? I just always had a thing for pretty girls, you know” 

“Carmen was it? Are you also a fan of pretty girls like me?” asked Eloise pushing herself against the bar, leaving more than enough space between the door and them to escape. 

“Actually, I just can’t say no to them and they have never said no to me. Now, how much is a night with you?” She was back at taking Eloise’s face between her rough hands. “You don’t even need to change from this outfit, I would love to do some things with those tit-” But she didn’t get to hear the end of that sentence, as Leo pulled her arm as they ran outside. 

*******  
They had been the last to leave, as she had gotten too invested in what that woman was telling Eloise. It just didn’t sit right with her. Carmen had gotten too focused on Eloise to notice they had left, or maybe, didn’t care anymore. 

Leo and the others didn’t stop running till they were behind a nearby alley, hidden away. Hylia wondered if this all was just Eloise’s luck or if she just felt she had to solve every issue herself. Hylia was sure there must have been another way to get rid of Carmen that didn’t involve pretending to be a prostitute, but perhaps they could discuss that later. 

“She will be fine, don’t worry” said Leo to her, their bright smile shining even in the dark. The worry must had been showing in her face. “She is in there with Blaire and those two together are a force to reckoned” 

“I still think Eloise is a fucking dumbass, I’m certain there was another way to sort this out that didn’t involve letting herself be sexually assaulted”   
“Glad to know you only speak highly of me when I’m not here” They all turned to face Eloise and Blaire, who looked unharmed, at least. 

“I can also say it to your face, you’re an idiot! What is your obsession with doing everything yourself? Don’t you know we are here and can help? We could have done a million different things to get out of that situation and you thought that was the best? Don’t you have any self respect?” yelled Meredith and Hylia worried someone might hear them. The crew had decided to step into the street, trying to provide them with some space. She agreed with Meredith, though she never expected her to get this upset over this. 

“Meredith, that’s enough. I think she gets it. What got into you? I’m upset too but I never thought you cared this much” Hylia put her arm on her shoulder, trying to get her to calm down but she shook it off. 

“I just don’t think this will work if Eloise doesn’t include us on her plans and in everything. I’m tired of feeling like a fool everyday, following her around. If she isn’t going to trust us, this is not going to work out at all. And she should really stop putting herself in danger for nothing, it gets on my nerves every single time. You’re a fucking human, stop trying to die!” Eloise was just standing there, trying to make herself small. The girl she knew as proud and confident was now scurried against a wall, like an abandoned kitten. So different from the girl she knew. 

“You are right. I’m sorry” She said in a small voice and silence fell. They both just stared at Eloise, who was instead looking down at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Eloise broke the silence now, her voice sounding a lot more like usual, though slightly more cold and detached “I didn’t realize what I was doing. I guess I’m just used to putting everything into myself, but you are right. I have to trust you guys a lot more, after all, this is a team mission. Now let’s get out of here, we can discuss this later” and just like that, she walked away from them, joining the ship crew like nothing had happened, but that was just so Eloise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who didn't read the part between ****, Eloise puts herself in a bit of unnecessary danger to help the girlies and the crew escape and Meredith isn't really having of it.   
> We hope you enjoyed this chapter and we will back next week! Next week the girlies will visit Dedalus, but when are things easy for them?~~   
> We hope you are enjoying yourselves and staying healthy and safe! Please wear a mask and take care of yourselves! <3


	6. Meredith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! We are sorry these chapters are behind schedule but we hope you enjoy them! We will be uploading new chapters (hopefully) later this week anyways, so this week is a double treat! <3  
> Like last time, it's two chapters from the same POV so it will be uploaded as one <3

Making their way to the hostel the Captain had recommended them to stay in, Meredith couldn’t help feeling a little awkward. She decided to stay back, walking a little behind the group. She hadn’t intended to outburst like that on Eloise, a person she had just met. It just made her blood boil to see her act like that, reminding her of a younger version of herself, reckless, impulsive and with a distinctive lack of a self preservation instinct. Like dying or getting hurt was just part of life and like she didn’t really care if she made it back or not. 

Meredith could see how Eloise was scared, even of her own choices, but had already decided she had to protect them, even if it meant putting herself in danger. But Meredith had learned that the bad way, being like that wasn’t good for her or others at all and she couldn’t help but hope Eloise would learn the lesson without having to go through the same. 

Regardless of her reasons, Meredith knew she had probably overstepped a little bit, even if she was right. But saying she was sorry was never something easy for her, so maybe it was best that Eloise had decided to ignore everything and act like nothing had happened. 

Meredith was still pondering on apologizing or not when the group stopped in front of an old building not taller than two floors, its outdoor paint a faded yellow. She saw Eloise thank the Captain and kiss all the crew before making her way inside on her own. Hylia was beside her now, and they both said goodbye to them awkwardly before following Eloise inside. 

“I got us a single room, apparently they don’t have many rooms available” said Eloise, making her way back from the “reception” with a single key in her hand. “Should we go upstairs?” But it wasn’t much of a question and more of an order, making her way up quickly. Hylia and Meredith hurried up the stairs as well, Eloise waiting for them at the door of the second room on the left. 

It was awkward to be there with them in that small room, to say the least. Eloise took the liberty of taking a shower, as questionable as it was, while Hylia and Meredith did their best at maintaining a short lived conversation about the forest, one of their shared passions. Hylia sat down on the bed while Meredith paced around the room, too at unease with herself to stay still. 

Eloise emerged from the bathroom in a very similar outfit to her last one, only clean. She stood in front of the broken mirror, brushing her wet hair.   
“By the way, I agree I have to take you guys more into account. Laurie used to tell me I would never lead a battalion if I wasn’t willing to delegate and trust, maybe this is exactly why I never did. What I’m trying to say is... I’m sorry” Eloise said. Meredith didn’t know how to answer, but she didn’t have to, since Eloise continued. 

“Perhaps we should try to get to know each other a bit more? I don’t really know what you can do, so I’m sorry if I made you follow me around like fools” 

Meredith wanted to say she was also sorry, since she had gone a bit overboard. She opened her mouth several times, but it seemed like the words wouldn’t come out. At the end, she didn’t say anything at all, but it seemed Eloise didn’t seem to think she deserved one either. 

“Meredith, what kind of things can you do?” Eloise asked, walking over where they were, instead of facing the mirror. 

“Well… with my magic I can create illusions, I can make you a brunette or a blonde per example? Magic is around us all the time, my people are just a vessel for it, which is why we have to work and study a lot to become good vessels or we can die. Our spells depend on how creative you are but that is worthless without training. I haven’t practiced in a while, but I still remember a lot of spells that hopefully prove useful. I do get very tired and hungry if I use my magic a lot, so I always carry candy around in case I need it” Meredith opened her bag and showed it to the girls, the bag contained several types of candies packed appropriately in order for them to survive the trip. 

“Is it my idea or all you’re carrying is candy?” asked Eloise, who apparently found it hilarious. “And here I was thinking it was filled with weapons or extra silver hair dye product”

“My hair is naturally silver! Many purebloods are born with hair silver like mine or red like blood! And you are one to talk Eloise, you have hair like cotton candy. If anyone’s hair here looks unrealistic it’s not mine, that’s for sure!” 

“How dare you call me a fake! I will have you meet my sister and then you can talk! Humph!” Eloise frowned, acting all offended at Meredith’s remark, before joining the other girls’ laughter. It was nice to be like this with them.

“Nymphs have all kinds of hair colors, but I guess it’s part of being a fairy to have magical hair” Hylia ran her hand through her hair, which Meredith could almost swear was shining in the dim light of the lamps. 

“Your hair is so pretty, it reminds me of the autumn leaves falling from the trees and of the sky, right before the sun sets and the night reigns” said Eloise. She sure knew some pretty ways of saying things. 

“Oh, thank you, that’s the nicest thing someone has said about my hair in a long time” Hylia smiled, almost embarrassed at the sudden compliment. “They usually say I have carrot hair, so I never thought it was a nice color ” 

“Well I think it’s really beautiful, truly” Eloise smiled. "What about you Hylia? tell us about your talents!” Meredith nodded eagerly, pushing Hylia to share more with them. 

“I can communicate with animals and manipulate plants to defend myself, but I guess also attack. I have a deep connection with nature and can make remedies with herbs. I guess I’m good at not getting lost, though cities like this one confuse me and I’m very flexible and have very good balance, I suppose” Hylia stopped talking, to find her companions staring at her. She must have felt uncomfortable under their attentive looks, since she apologized quietly for taking so long to explain herself.   
“You have nothing to apologize for! You are so cool, I can’t wait to see what you can do! Is it true that you are very flexible though? Can you show us?” Eloise asked excitedly. Meredith chuckled at her reaction, acting and getting excited like a little kid. Hylia got up from the bed and bent backwards, folding into herself and even balancing her weight on one foot while stretching her other leg enough for it to touch her head. 

Eloise clapped amazed, as Hylia thanked her and went back to sitting on the bed. “I doubt any of my spells can compare with the wow factor your balance and flexibility have” said Meredith, giving her a half smile. She wished she could smile more genuinely, but her head was killing her. She wasn’t as accustomed to wearing her contacts as she used to be, and she worried her pain would be reflected on her face. 

“Are you okay Meredith? You look like you are in pain” Asked Hylia. 

“It’s just my contacts, they always give me the worst migraines after I wear them for too long” said Meredith, rubbing her eyes. They were starting to hurt as well.   
“Shouldn’t you take them off?” Asked Eloise. “You can’t sleep with them on, anyways” Meredith nodded as she stood up from the chair she was sitting on. Facing the mirror, she removed her contacts. Her pupils now were a pale shade of yellow. She had hoped they had gone back to normal, but it seemed her feelings were still a mix of nerves inside her. She took a deep breath and made her way back to her place, hoping miserably they wouldn’t stare enough to notice. 

“Oh, of course! I can’t believe I didn’t catch the lie! Your hair is naturally silver, but your eyes aren’t~ No shame though! I wore purple contacts for a year because I had heard Laurie liked mysterious girls, so whatever reason you have for wearing them it can’t be as stupid as mine was~” Eloise chuckled, amused at the memory. She laughed along, silently thanking her for moving the conversation forward, away from uncomfortable questions about her eyes. Her eyes weren’t really yellow, but she didn’t feel comfortable telling them the whole story now. She noticed she had drifted off and hoped her companions hadn’t realized she hadn’t said anything in a while, too focused in her thoughts. 

“It’s so hard to do so. I was taught by my professors how to hide my aura, since many magical beings are able to sense it. If they could, then my lies wouldn’t be believable” said Eloise. Apparently they were talking about auras and other things, but Meredith couldn’t really make the connection between that and Eloise’s previous story. 

“It seems all they taught you in the palace is how to lie,” said Hylia. “And you are right, I hadn’t noticed, but your aura hasn’t slipped, not even before when you were obviously not okay” 

“Oh yeah” Eloise said, looking away. “I just could never slip, no matter the time or place. It wouldn’t have been good if I had lost control like I did before, but I guess I trust you both more than the people at the palace. I’m trying to work on it, cause I don’t want to keep being like this. I don’t want to be that kind of queen” Eloise smiled. 

“I’m impressed they taught you how to do that Eloise. Is uncommon even between the fairies to be able to mask one’s aura and only a few of us can do it with ourselves or others” said Hylia.  
“You can mask others’ auras?” asked Eloise, probably avoiding further questions on how she had learned how to do that on herself. Very few humans had a magical connection, and if Eloise didn’t have one, it must have been very hard for her to learn how to mask her emotional aura. And if Meredith was right and Eloise’s training had been half as bad as her own, then it made sense she didn’t want to talk about it. 

“Oh yes, I guess I forgot to mention it, I’m not very good at it though! I haven’t had much practice, I kinda self taught myself, so please don’t think too much of it” said Hylia, shy about her abilities. 

“Don’t sell yourself short! You are amazing! I never had enough drive to teach myself anything, so I really admire how you managed to do some much all by yourself” Eloise smiled at her. “I can’t wait to see what you can do!”

“That’s because you didn’t see her earlier using the palace’s plants to fight off guards, but she is a badass for sure. So if all is self taught, you are probably very good at that as well” said Meredith, talking for the first time in a while. Hylia smiled at them both. 

After what seemed like forever, they all decided it was about time they slept a little, especially since they have talked for so long that the sun was already peeking from behind the buildings. Meredith brushed her teeth and, staring at her reflection, her eyes were no longer yellow, but a pretty shade of red. And as she took her place on a side of the single bed, she felt more calm than she had ever felt before. 

\-------------------------------------

Meredith woke up feeling more refreshed than usual, even though the bed below her was hard as rock and its sheets had probably never been washed. Looking around the room, she remembered she was staying there with her trip companions, who were nowhere to be found. She decided to get ready, fixing the bed a little bit and opening the window. In came the little bird who she had seen before with Hylia, who opened its eyes and twirled in the air before leaving. No long after, Hylia and Eloise walked in, the red bird in Hylia’s shoulder. 

“Ceri said you were already up, so we came back to pick you up for breakfast” Hylia smiled

“We found the most amazing waffle place, you will love it! I had only tried waffles in Ni, so I’m so happy to find a place to try them out here!” Eloise said, as excited as always, and dragging them both by the arm, they were in the street in no time. 

“Eloise, can I ask you a question?” Hylia asked. Eloise nodded. “ Do humans shed skin?” just as the waitress had left for the kitchen. 

“What do you mean? Shed skin? We don’t shed skin…”Eloise looked at her, between amused and confused. 

“Well, this morning when I woke up your face was all green but now it looks fine…” 

“Oh, that” Eloise tried to answer without laughing, but wasn’t doing too well and Meredith had already become a laughing mess, catching the attention of other customers without even trying. “It’s a face mask, a special potion if you will to help my skin stay this beautiful. With all the stress and sleep deprivation, is the only way I can stay this pretty~” Eloise said, posing in a ridiculous manner and framing her face with her hands, trying to make funny faces in an attempt not to make Hylia feel bad for not knowing.

Soon all of them were laughing and Meredith wondered when was the last time she had heard such a funny question and seen such ridiculous faces.When they had calmed down (after a good 20 minutes, Hylia spoke, doing her best to contain her laughter. “In my defense, I’m not used to humans! Ivy always said humans could be real snakes, so I assumed they shedded skin as well!”). But it didn’t matter how hard they had tried to calm down, cause it seemed they would laugh at anything at that point. 

The waitress came back with their food, and they finally were able to calm down, too hungry to keep laughing. Now sitting in front of the waffles, Meredith’s mouth watered. They did look delicious covered in strawberries and other fruits. 

“Bon Appetit!” said Eloise, before digging in. They hadn’t had a proper meal in a few days, so it was now that Meredith could appreciate how Eloise ate like she had all the time in the world, taking the smallest bites and chewing them delicately. On the other hand, Hylia wasn’t scared to get her hands dirty, eating her waffles without a care for Stellian manners. Sitting in the middle, she didn’t know which of the two was more embarrassing as a companion. 

“Hylia, can you please try to eat with the fork they gave you? Or at least eat a little slower, you will get chocolate all over your clothes and hair if you keep going like this” said Meredith and Eloise chuckled smugly. “You are not any better, I know you are high class and all, but please eat bigger bites, it will take you three days to finish a single waffle, for goddess’ sake!” 

Thankfully they both decided to listen to her and soon, all that was catching the attention of the other commensals at the little cafe was their very loud appearances. Even if Meredith was always wearing black, her silver hair was uncommon, and Hylia and Eloise wore only bright colors from head to toe. It was especially bad in Eloise’s case, since the guards would be looking for her and her pink hair and Meredith could bet Eloise’s bright red boots did nothing to hide her from prying eyes.   
“We have to do something about your hair, Eloise. Only your people have that hair color, and we really can’t afford to get arrested again” said Meredith. 

“What do you propose we do?” asked Hylia. “I could dye her hair naturally, but it would take too much time and ingredients, so if you have anything better…” 

“I can put an illusion on her hair, like this” said Meredith, and soon Eloise’s hair turned from a mild rose to complete black. 

“How do I look?” asked Eloise immediately, but it seemed she didn’t care much for their comment, taking out a mirror and moving around her chair, trying to catch the best lighting in order to admire her own looks, the strawberries in her plate long forgotten. 

“We should get out of here, the sooner we get to Dedalus, the sooner we can go back home” Meredith said, but in reality she was worried about her illusion. Even if it wasn’t a difficult spell, it had been a long time since the last time she did a long lasting spell, and worried the effect would pass before they had arrived at their destination. 

Eloise paid the bill and Hylia walked outside, where the ship’s crew was waiting for them. Apparently Eloise had sent them a letter through her Gicom asking them to escort them across the city, since it would be faster and safer for all of them. 

Dedalus little apartment was hidden between a bookshop and a bakery, only a few streets from the waffle cafe. Was the crew really good at finding secret paths to all places or was she too bad at remembering where she was? Aidea was sure a confusing city.

“Are you sure it's here?” Meredith asked. She didn't expect an expert physics magician to live in such a place. 

“We are certain it's here” answered Seong Hwa “We have been here before. Please be careful, Dedalus might not look for much but he's really perceptive. Don't trust him, I say this for your own good” The Captain, Blaire and Leo nodded, completely serious. 

“We can’t stay here cause he hates us, but if you need anything let us know, alright?” said Leo, giving the three of them a meaningful look. 

The crew walked away from the place and taking a deep breath, Meredith knocked on the door. The door opened itself, and the three of them shared a look before walking in. The apartment was bigger on the inside, dark and filled to the top with metal and old inventions. 

The place smelled like burnt candles and old oil. Eloise called for Dedalus since they didn’t seem to find him anywhere. An old man came down the stairs, wearing a suit that didn’t fit him very well, very similar (if not the same) as the one he was wearing when he visited her family many years ago. Meredith just hoped he didn’t really remember her. 

“So why is the princess of Stella in my house today? And why did you bring a pureblood and a nymph to my house?” His eyes looked tired, but he inspected each of them carefully. It was the same look she had seen many years ago in her house, and she didn’t like it one bit. 

“That is not important” answered Eloise, calm as always. 

“We need your help fixing an object, can you do it?” asked Meredith, trying to imitate Eloise’s confidence. She was wearing her contacts, but it would all go to shit if she didn’t stay calm. 

“Well you better pray I can, because no one has as much experience with magical objects as me. Except for the Ni people, but their secrets about magical objects aren’t something they willingly share with just anyone, regardless of your background” said Dedalus, as Eloise looked through her bag and placed the little sphere on top of the table. “Ahh, I see. Such an object, a magical space projector, will be very complicated to fix. It won’t be cheap for you, that’s for certain” 

“What’s your price?” Asked Eloise. 

“I don’t want your stellian money, but rather, sentimental objects. I have been working on a spell that would only work with objects that have an emotional attachment to them. I would like your jacket, it seems you are very attached to it” The man pointed at Eloise’s blue military coat, an obvious gift from her boyfriend. “Your necklace and her bird” Meredith took her necklace instinctively, not happy at his request. She saw Ceri curl against Hylia’s neck, clearly not content at being separated from her friend. Meredith hadn’t even noticed Ceri was with them and wondered if maybe it would have been better for him to stay with the crew. 

“Can’t you just take my jacket? My companions shouldn’t have to give up their precious possessions for me” said Eloise, always the self sacrificing dumbass.   
“Won’t work, princess. You see, they came with you, so either they are with you or they are not. Either you all contribute or you won’t have your sparkly disco ball ready for the Coronation. Your choice” And with that being said, Dedalus sat down and started working on a different project without a care in the world. And maybe that was correct; he didn’t care one bit. 

Taking her companions’ hands, Meredith dragged them back to the street. Even if he had given them the space to talk things out and looked uninterested, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t eavesdrop. Meredith put a muffling spell around them and only after that, made a signal that they could now speak freely. 

“What are we going to do? Ceri is not a possession, so he is not mine to have or give away. I just could never abandon him like that” said Hylia. 

“It’s okay, no one is abandoning him or giving that guy anything, so don’t worry about that. I’m not sure what to do just yet though, but we will figure something out” said Meredith, and hit Eloise on the head. “You’re a dumbass, I thought you had learned from last time” 

“Aww! that hurt! What did I do this time?” Eloise sobbed her head. Meredith was sure she hadn’t hit her that hard, but Eloise loved to put on a scene for anything.   
“You said you wouldn’t make choices on your own anymore, and you were about to give up your coat just like that?” Meredith said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

“It’s different this time! My coat, though a gift from my boyfriend, is just a coat. He has a million coats just like these one and the thing he and I want the most is to be back. It’s not the same as Ceri or your necklace. I don’t want you to give up on something as valuable for me” said Eloise

Silence fell and the only noise was Ceri flying around Hylia angrily, clearly not happy about the situation at all. Meredith thought of Hylia’s and her own powers, Eloise’s abilities...They all had amazing capacities, they sure should be able to sort it out, they just had to figure out how. 

“I just thought of something, it’s risky but... it could work” Meredith said, hoping to convince them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** in this case, auras refer to a reflection of a person’s feelings and emotions, not really their personality. If magical beings and some humans can see or feel a person’s aura, they could see if their feelings are genuine, that is to say, if they are lying or not. 
> 
> Q: what do you think it's Meredith's plan to deceive Dedalus?


	7. Eloise

Eloise could see how nervous Hylia was. Meredith’s plan was good, but it was based too much on luck, so it made sense all of them were a bit on edge. Eloise took Hylia’s hand and giving her a squeeze and a smile, she opened the door. 

“We have come to an agreement to give you the things, so please fix my sphere” said Eloise, her voice breaking a little as she ran her hand through her hair as if she was anxious, anxious about him saying no. 

“No need to feel anxious Your Highness. Actually, I fixed the sphere while you three shared some tea and gossip outside, so please just give me what we agreed on and you may leave” said Dedalus, placing the sphere in front of Eloise. With shaking hands she placed the coat and the necklace a bit far away from Dedalus, while Ceri flew and sat itself on top of a nearby bottle. 

“Thank you so much for all your help! Since all is done, we will be leaving” Eloise smiled awkwardly, while Hylia and Meredith looked completely depressed over losing their objects, even if she knew they were in reality, too focused on their magic to even speak a word. Their plan was working perfectly so far. 

Meredith had planned for all of them to go back looking defeated, with possessions in hand since Dedalus wouldn’t accept anything else. But they wouldn’t be giving away their real things, but common objects, covered by an illusion spell similar to the one on Eloise’s hair. To not give themselves away, Hylia would cover Meredith’s and her aura, to keep the illusion that they were truly sad about losing their precious things. 

But things seemed to never work out, because they were not even two steps away from the door when Dedalus placed his hand on top of the objects, pushing through the spell. Soon, the illusion wavered in front of him and his face turned red, before he started shouting at them.

“I shouldn’t have trusted in you! I thought since you pureblood came with a royal you wouldn’t be just like the others, but I see I was wrong! Don't think I didn't notice Silvermoon. You are just like your parents, like your entire especies! Thieves, con artists, selfish murderers!!” They all ran to the door, but as much as Hylia tried, it seemed like it wouldn’t open. 

Eloise holded the sphere against her chest, hoping to protect it from Dedalus’ attacks, as Meredith tried to protect them from whatever he was throwing at them. Eloise felt something cold against her skin and she clenched her eyes in reflex. When she opened her eyes again, they were just falling endlessly and she couldn’t see anything, besides her companions. She seemed to be the only one awake, the other two looking peaceful, like they were just sleeping.

Suddenly Hylia’s red eyes opened wide, and moving swiftly in the air, brought them both close, as if preparing for the impact. 

And she was right, soon the darkness disappeared and below them were now trees, mountains and a lake. They had been transported very far away from Aidea, that was for sure. They fell, Hylia taking most of it, but she didn’t seem to be hurt, getting up without a struggle and helping them up. Meredith finally opened her eyes, dizzy from the fall and the sudden light around them. Even if she didn’t recognize the place at all, it gave her hope to know they were at least in the same time zone, since it was daytime here as well. 

Eloise was stressed, to say the least. Her GiCom wasn’t working properly, which was weird. Magic surrounded them all the time at all places, which meant letters would always get sent, so it didn’t make sense nothing would go through. Talking about magic, there was something she hadn’t checked: the sphere.

She obviously wasn’t holding it anymore, so it must have fallen somewhere. She started searching around frantically, under Hylia’s and Meredith’s confused looks.   
“Help me find it! It must be here somewhere!” She yelled and soon heard her companions' steps as they searched as well, even if she hadn’t been very nice when asking for their help.

“Eloise, come here! I think I found it!” Shouted Hylia. Eloise ran to where she stood bashfully, as if trying to hide something. “Please breathe before you see it, I’m so sorry Eloise!” Hylia moved, showing the broken pieces of the sphere, all sparkly dust around it. 

“It’s okay…” she said, trying to reassure Hylia. “I will find a way to solve this, so let’s focus for now on getting out of here” she smiled, but that was the contrary of what she wanted to do. Eloise felt terrible. She wanted to sit down and cry for three days straight, to cut some trees with her sword, to yell at someone. But she knew she couldn’t do that now. Hylia seemed to be fine, but Meredith had left her sight a while ago and Eloise worried something had happened to her. After all, she did look a bit sick ever since they got here. Now was surely not the time. 

If Laurie was good at something, it was making sure you would never forget what they had learned at their training. He loved to make sure you could remember it, even if it meant carving it into your body through hellish repetitions. She would never admit it to him, but what they had learned then would prove useful at this time. She started thinking what they could do, mumbling to herself, too distracted in her own thoughts to notice someone was taking off her gloves.

Hylia threw the bloody gloves to the ground, and after cleaning her cuts with alcohol, put some sort of mix of plants and other things in her wounds, probably some sort of remedy to avoid an infection. Eloise had cuts all over her arms and hands, probably from where the sphere had broken into a million pieces. She also noticed she had glass and cuts on her chest as well and wondered how she hadn’t stabbed herself with some glass. She had been lucky.

“You’re like a little child sometimes” said Hylia mostly to herself. “You go and risk everything everytime like you weren’t aware you could get hurt, and you aren’t very good at taking care of yourself” Eloise said nothing, staring down at Hylia’s work. There was nothing she could say when Hylia had spoken nothing but the truth. Laurie had told her the same thing many times, but she knew nothing would change. She really didn’t care much if she got hurt. She deserved it. 

Under Hylia’s care, soon both her arms were all wrapped in bandages and she was thankful Hylia was traveling with them because Eloise herself was terrible at first aid assistance. She hadn’t even noticed she was hurt, for the goddess’ sake. 

Eloise thanked Hylia and they decided to search for Meredith. Eloise couldn’t help but worry, she did seem bad before. They didn’t have to walk far before they saw her, tumbling around. She seemed like she was about to pass out. Eloise and Hylia ran, just in time to catch her from falling to the ground. 

“Are you okay?” Eloise asked, her friend in her arms, but she was already out of it. 

“We need to lay her down somewhere, to see if I can do anything. Eloise, can you carry her on your own?” Hylia said. Eloise nodded and Hylia let go of Meredith, putting all her weight into Eloise. 

Meredith was surprisingly light but it was still a struggle to put her on Eloise’s back, especially since Hylia had decided to leave her behind. Finally managing to put Meredith in a comfortable position, she walked in the direction she had seen Hylia disappear. 

Hylia was moving her hands like directing an orchestra, and maybe that was what she was doing, as she moved branches and vines to create a huge cocoon on top of a tree. 

“That 's...amazing. You are amazing” said Eloise, astonished at her creation. The cocoon was small, so they would have to snuggle to fit in, but they would make it work. She was still carrying one sleeping bag with her and a blanket, and figured it would help them stay warm at night. Thankfully the inside was covered in musk so it was soft under her touch, but she was sure sleeping in a tree cocoon couldn’t be good for their backs. It was better than sleeping on the ground though. 

It took both of them to bring Meredith up and they could just hope they hadn’t hit her head against a branch without noticing. They placed her on top of the sleeping bag and Hylia started to check her up. Since her abilities wouldn’t be very helpful up there, Eloise decided to search for some wood to burn and perhaps something to hunt. She wasn’t a great hunter, having a strong dislike for killing animals for fun, but she would put what she had learned from her mother to use if it meant they would have something for dinner. She walked for a long while, but she couldn’t listen to a single animal, not even a bird singing. She found it weird, but thought it was just her exhausted mind playing tricks, so she decided to give up on hunting and go back to their improvised camp.

“I couldn’t find any animals around here, so I couldn’t really hunt anything for dinner” said Eloise upon entering the cocoon. 

“It 's alright. Meredith’s purse is still filled with candy and I think I still have some bread with me” said Hylia. “I don’t eat meat anyways” 

“Oh, makes sense” Eloise chuckled. “I also have some food in my bag so it’s nothing to worry about for now. How is Meredith?” 

“It seems she pushed herself against her limits back there, so she is now making up for it by sleeping, I suppose. I hope she wakes up soon on her own, cause I really don’t know if there is anything we can do if she doesn’t” answered Hylia. 

Meredith looked so peaceful when she was asleep, but Eloise couldn’t help but worry as well. This place was weird and gave her a bad vibe, and if she could feel it, she couldn’t start to imagine what Hylia was feeling. They had to get out of there soon. 

Hylia decided they had nothing better to do than sleep after eating something, and covering herself with their blankets, she was sound asleep in a few minutes. Knowing the blanket was too short for the three of them, she covered herself with her coat. She tried to find a comfortable position, but she just couldn’t. Even if she was exhausted, sleep would often escape her anyways. She would stay up all night and even when Laurie had asked her to consult with a hundred different doctors, no medicine could put her to sleep. She covered her head with her coat, not expecting it to make a crumbling paper-like sound. She sat up and patted over the coat: it seemed there was something inside it.

Eloise sat up and opened the inside of the coat with the knife she was always carrying in her boots. There were seven letters inside, one for each day she was supposed to be away, all from Laurie. When had he decided to do this? She opened the first one, practically ripping off the envelope. 

“My dear Ella: I hope my letters provide some comfort while you are away. I know you will find a solution to all of this, but know even if you don’t, it’s okay. Things have been tough for you and even though you try to pretend everything is okay for the sake of the kingdom, please remember you don’t have to carry all the weight. Please take care of yourself so you can come back safe and sound. I miss you already, my love.”

She didn’t get to read any of the others, because before she knew it tears were blinding up her sight. She couldn’t stop crying and she didn’t know why. Maybe it was all the frustration, the homesickness and all the guilt. She wanted to be strong and reliable for every single person that depended on her, from Laurie to her kingdom, but she always felt so scared and small, worried she wouldn’t be able to live up to their expectations. 

She stayed there, crying in silence for a while until she felt someone hugging her. She had woken up Hylia. 

“I’m sorry Hylia, I didn’t mean to wake you up. I guess I can’t even let you sleep in peace” she said, trying to dry her face. 

But Hylia didn’t say anything, just stayed there holding her and stroking her hair, letting her cry until she fell asleep, her body and mind finally calm enough to rest on their own.


	8. Hylia

“Hylia, what should we do about Meredith? It doesn’t seem like she is going to wake up any moment soon and we really should get out of here” Eloise asked her, on the afternoon of their second day in that place. They had been taking turns watching over their friend while the other investigated the place and that way Hylia had managed to discover they weren’t in a real forest, but trapped in a magic-made place. 

From the minute they first arrived Hylia had known it wasn’t a real forest, but she never imagined it would be like this. The forest was finite, and seemed to have a round outside shape. Hylia didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but her active imagination made her feel as if she was trapped in a crystal globe, one of those pretty souvenirs she saw at some store. But she had to stop herself right there. That whole idea made her feel claustrophobic, and the air was already very thin for her to waste so much thinking about impossible things so early on a day. At least she wanted to convince herself it was impossible. 

“Well, seeing as you have no ideas, it’s time I take matters into my own hands” Eloise stood up and took Meredith from her collar as if she were a doll, she slapped her across the face. Hylia could swear Meredith's leg moved a little bit, so even if it wasn’t the best, she couldn’t help but cheer on Eloise as she slapped her again a few more times. 

“What is wrong with you?” Was the first thing Meredith said, her hand reaching out to her face, still red from the slaps.

“You are alive!” said Hylia and jumped in, bringing her two chaotic friends into a hug. 

“Don’t exaggerate, I slept only for a couple hours, no big deal…” Meredith looked around, not recognizing the place they were at. Hylia could understand her. She had also woke up this morning thinking she was in her own place back at her forest, for a single glance at her companions to remind her they were actually very far away from home. 

“You slept for a bit over a day and if you don’t remember, we are in a cocoon in the top of a tree in the middle of a magic-made fake forest” Eloise filled her in. “We didn’t want to wake you up like that, but we really need your help getting out of here”

“Oh…makes sense” Meredith said, avoiding their gaze. 

Meredith didn’t look very well, but she insisted she wanted to help as soon as possible, so after a quick breakfast (if it could be called that) they made their way to what Hylia had determined to be the center of the “sphere”. Meredith agreed it made sense the spell could be broken from there, since the barrier had proven to be too thick to be broken easily. They couldn’t also see the outside from there, so despite Hylia’s active imagination, they couldn’t really be sure if they were on the top of a shelf in that apartment or not. 

The center wasn’t far from where their camp was, but it seemed like the walk was proving to be too much for Meredith’s recovering body. Hylia stopped Meredith by her shoulders, putting a hand on her forehead to check if she was feverish. She sure looked that way. 

“Are you sure you can continue? We could also come back later, you don’t have to-” 

“I sure have to, it’s the least I can do! It’s my fault we are here!” Meredith interrupted, pushing Hylia’s hand away. “Why are you so nice to me when it’s my fault we are trapped in this hellish place without a way out?”

“Why would any of this be your fault? We all agreed to that plan and we all were aware of the risks…” said Hylia and Eloise smiled at Meredith in agreement. It seemed it wasn’t her exhaustion that was killing her friend but her self-imposed guilt. 

“You don’t get it, he wouldn’t have been as bad if it weren’t for me. He was still upset over what my parents did, what my people have done…” At this point Meredith wasn’t really able to stand up, her legs giving in until she was on her knees.

“Hey look at us” said Eloise, the both of them sitting down around her, but giving her space. “Neither of us think any of this is your fault. I don’t think you blame me for getting arrested in the palace a few days ago, so don’t think that way” Eloise gave her a little smile, and it seemed like she wanted to give Meredith a hug but decided against it at the end. 

“In a way it just means we have terrible luck together. I mean, for what is worth maybe when we get out of here Hylia will get us in trouble cause unicorns hate her to death or something” Eloise continued. Meredith chuckled, while Hylia stared in horror. 

“Unicorns are noble and gentle creatures! And I don’t have a problematic past that will come back to bite me in the ass like you two, but I don’t blame you. Actually, even though these are probably the hardest couple days of my life, I have learned and seen so much that it’s fine” Hylia sighed. “My dad used to say we learn more from the times we mess up than from the times we do well, and that the whole point of life is to struggle but keep moving forward and grow from our experiences”   
“He sounds like a wise man,” Meredith said. 

“He is, at least I like to think he still is. I haven’t seen him in a very long time, but I never forgot everything he told me” Hylia said. Eloise and Meredith stared at her, hoping to know more but not having the courage to pry the rest of the story. But Hylia had already decided it was time. She knew a lot from them. She had seen them cry and get angry, but they had never seen her like that. She was always calm when they were messy and all over the place, not because she didn’t feel a thing but because she was doing a bit better. What had happened to her was a long time ago, nor a year or a few months back. 

“I… got separated from my family when I was younger. I don’t really remember the details, but one day I just woke up in an unknown forest, far away from my own fairy circle, from my family and everything I had ever known. But I was found by Ceri and Ivy, they took care of me, so I have never really felt like an orphan” Hylia said, and looking back at her friends, they looked so surprised and worried. She couldn’t help but smile to herself. 

“It’s fine you know, you don’t need to comfort me. I have had a long time to deal with it, so don’t worry too much” she smiled brightly. 

“I know we don’t have to say anything, but if you ever want to talk more about it, that would be fine you know?” Said Eloise. 

“During this whole trip you have had to deal with both of us and it seems you never lose your cool, but it’s fine if you ever do” said Meredith and Hylia nodded. “You must really miss Ceri, don’t you? We got separated earlier…”

“I do miss him a lot, but I trust we will get out of here soon. Also he is a really smart bird, so he will find me even if he has to turn the whole world upside down. Actually, I’m more worried about the world being flipped by him, we really should focus on going back” Hylia said, frowning. Ceri was a bit overprotective with her, so if she was realistic, he was going full on parent mode as they spoke. They really had to go back soon. 

“I agree we have to focus on the task at hand, but we have done so well, we deserve a hug!” said Eloise, opening her arms, waiting for the both of them to join her. Reluctantly, Meredith and Hylia hugged her back. Even if Hylia didn’t feel bad about what happened in her past, it did feel good to talk about it and be comforted by another person. Her friends were warm, in a way little Ceri or Ivy couldn’t be, and it was a sensation she hadn’t realized she missed a lot. 

Feeling a bit better, they decided to continue their walk, but couldn’t go very far before hearing a loud thump. Meredith had tripped with her own feet and was now in the ground. Even if she was doing better emotionally, her body couldn’t keep up. 

“Maybe we should rest? We can go back to the camp, it’s not an issue-” Hylia said, before being stopped by Meredith. She looked so sick and tired, sitting down in the ground, her clothes all covered in dirt. She knew none of them looked their best, but Meredith looked almost pitiful in that state and Hylia couldn’t help but worry it hadn’t been a good idea to wake her up at all. 

Meredith took a vial containing a purple liquid and breaking the top, downed the content in seconds. Soon her skin recovered its healthy color, her eyes sparkling with life in front of her friends' incredulous faces. 

“What is that?” asked Eloise, her eyes sparkling with interest. If Hylia knew anything about Eloise was that she had problems sleeping, so of course she would be interested in anything that could bring her energy back that fast. 

“If purebloods go overboard with their use of magic, like I did yesterday with all the illusions, we usually enter an hibernation state. To override the effects we created this tonic, so we can stay awake for a while longer. I will have more than enough time to sleep when we get back, but you guys need me now, so let’s go!” Meredith explained, getting up without a struggle and walking vigorously, something neither of them had ever thought possible. 

“And tell me, this “tonic”, is there any chance I could get my hands on a little bit? asked Eloise, following her, while Hylia rolled her eyes as she walked behind them.   
“I have never heard of any humans who have tried it, but I assure you the effects could be too strong for you. After all, the idea is to repair our bodies from the excessive use of magic. Besides, the less you should be thinking is how to skip more sleep! I see, I’ll make sure to keep this away from you” 

“Fine I guess…” Eloise rolled her eyes. “I’m glad you are better though”. Eloise and Meredith kept talking but Hylia was no longer paying attention to them, too focused on figuring out what the weird energy was. She hadn’t picked it up before, but now it was all around them. If there was a way out, they were close. 

But she must have been too distracted with her thoughts that she didn’t notice Meredith had, yet again, tripped on a huge branch and was now cursing on it. It was huge and it seemed none of them had really noticed it. The tree it belonged to wasn’t proportional to the branches’ size and looking up close, Hylia could see the tree was burning from inside out. It looked normal but it wasn’t, and if Hylia were to bet, the energy wave seemed to be coming from this tree. 

She could hear Eloise laughing at Meredith while she cursed the damn tree. She wanted to help her friend get up as well but her attention couldn’t move away from the tree. It was calling her, but that couldn’t be...All the trees there were fake, have no life, no energy… Except for this one. 

The realization sank into her. She knew what she had to do. She looked down on her hands and figured it wouldn’t get any better than this. Putting both her hands on the tree, she transferred her own energy to the tree, to the weakened spirit living there. The whole place started trembling and the tree started shining. If before it was dimly burning from the inside, now it seemed it was about to explode. And since that was exactly what was about to happen, she took her now burnt hands off the tree and threw herself over her friends, protecting them from the explosion. She closed her eyes and heard everything explode around her, but she couldn’t feel anything around her at all.


End file.
